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The tall man laid in bed with a damp towel on his forehead. A woman walked in with a bowl of ice cold water and put it on the bed side. She took the cloth, dunked it in the bowl and wrung it out. As she dabbed the man's head he grabbed her free hand that stood loosely on the beds blankets.
"Please stay," he said, a little out of breath, "I can't live without you."
The girl blushed furiously, but continued her actions undisturbed. "You have a fever, Gil. You don't know what you're saying." she mumbled shyly.
"No, I mean it, you-" he suddenly paused and shot upright, "what's that smell?"
Slamming a hand over her mouth the young female apprentice ran over to the kitchen where she took a pot off the fire and fearfully looked into it. Her fears were confirmed when all she saw was burned lumps. With an innocent smile plastered over her face she returned to the feverish Ranger in his bedroom.
"So the good news is, the kitchen didn't burn down like last time," she started, earning a concerned look from the boy still sitting upright in the bed, "but our dinner has turned to coal."
Gilan weakly grinned and let himself fall back down. "I really don't know how you haven't flunked your tests yet."
She narrowed her eyes at him and sat down at the end of his bed. "You should get some rest while I try to remake dinner."
But the tall Ranger shook his head. "I can't, I've already tried."
"Oh come on, there's no way. You're always the first to fall asleep and now you can't?"
"Well I do have this apprentice which keeps burning food and would probably burn down the cabin without me."
The girl scoffed and rolled her eyes, but then moved closer to her mentor until she was right next to him. He moved a little to make room for her to lay and she wrapped one arm around his shoulder, while pressing his head against her chest with her other hand. Slowly she started humming a low melody, which made the Ranger look at her with such amazed eyes, you'd think he'd been looking at an angel.
"Sleep, baby, sleep Your father tends the sheep Your mother shakes the dreamland tree And from it fall sweet dreams for thee Sleep, baby, sleep Sleep, baby, sleep
Sleep, baby, sleep Our cottage vale is deep The little lamb is on the green With snowy fleece so soft and clean Sleep, baby, sleep Sleep, baby, sleep"
Halt, who was repairing his arrows nearby, looked up from his work when he heard the young Ranger mumble in his sleep as he tossed and turned in his bed. He frowned when he heard something about a girl, knowing it was about her. A nightmare then, he thought, grinning to himself about his own joke.
